Archery being taught in Buenos Aires schools ahead of Youth Olympics

The programme is aimed at engaging young people with the Games and participating in sport.

Young people in Buenos Aires are being given the opportunity to learn archery as part of a city-wide activation programme, encompassing a number of sports, that is designed to drive engagement within communities ahead of the 2018 Youth Olympic Games.

“Interest in archery has been steadily growing in Argentina but with the Youth Olympics we see an opportunity to capture the imagination of young people,” said national federation president Estanislao Osores Soler. “Since the beginning of the year, our association has been working with the Games’ organisers to deliver activities in and around schools across the region.”

Of the eight formats being organised as part of the Buenos Aires 2018 Sport Initiation Programme, archery is involved in four.

Olympic Sport at School sessions are a series of talks explaining the sport, the rules and where people can take part around Buenos Aires. They are being paired with clinics, or chats, focused and run by national team or recognisable athletes, who then teach students the basics of shooting a bow and arrow.

Workshops with physical education teachers, imparting the knowledge necessary to run archery sessions, should encourage more schools to feature the sport after the programme is finished. Before then, and with young Argentinian athletes gearing up to compete at the Youth Olympics, students are being invited to visit training sessions and competition – offering a taste of the sport outside of the classroom.

The aim is to work with at least 20 schools in the city.

“We’d like archery to be available to young people in communities up and down the country – and removing any barrier to participation, be it physical or in the knowledge required to take part, is key in making that a reality. By educating teachers and gifting basic equipment – like PVC bows – to schools, we hope to leave a lasting legacy for Buenos Aires, archery and the Youth Olympic Games,” added Estanislao.

Argentina will host the 2017 World Archery Youth Championships on 2-8 October in Rosario, three hours away from Buenos Aires, as part of the national federation’s commitment to maximising the impact of the Games.

Youth team members will then travel to compete at the senior World Archery Championships, taking place just one week after Rosario, in Mexico City.